Approaching Immortal City is one of the seven major cities on the Nine Provinces Continent and is backed by the Jade Clarity Sect, so the prices for inns are always high.
The room at Cuihua Inn, which costs five hundred coins per night, is the most cost-effective option Shen Jizhi found after comparing several places.
The location is secluded, and it's already late at night. The room at the far end of the second floor is still lit by candlelight.
Jian Huan sits at the table, her brush on the talisman paper, making a rustling sound.
Previously, it took her a quarter of an hour to draw a talisman, but now, after becoming more proficient, she can draw two to three talismans in the same amount of time.
For maximum efficiency, Jian Huan only draws Teleportation Talismans and Speed Talismans.
Teleportation Talismans can save lives, and Speed Talismans can help with travel. They are essential talismans for any cultivator, widely used and in high demand, offering good profit margins.
The intricate lines of the talismans are deeply etched in Jian Huan's mind. The more she draws, the less she needs to think, her hand moving swiftly and confidently.
Unlike her initial meticulousness, Jian Huan's strokes have become increasingly hasty, almost flying off the paper, ready to break through the heavens.
Shen Jizhi, who is sitting on the floor repairing his sword, seems to sense something and looks up at her.
She is slightly bowing her head, her profile showing a serious and focused expression. Her delicate spine is straight, like a bamboo shoot striving to grow upwards.
Shen Jizhi retracts his gaze.
He rummages through the sack, picking out a piece of spirit iron that matches the broken sword's material and attaches it to the sword. A dazzling array of five-colored spiritual energy slowly emanates from his palm, patiently and meticulously repairing the broken sword.
A deep red candle by the window quietly burns, enveloping the two people in the room.
The night grows even quieter.
Outside the window, a dark cloud silently drifts past, covering the full moon and casting a shadow over the world below.
The broken sword is restored, as if reborn.
Just as Shen Jizhi is about to put the sword away, his brow suddenly furrows, and his newly repaired sword instantly flies out of his hand, heading straight towards a corner!
A crisp sound echoes as the sword is kicked away by a man with a broken eyebrow who suddenly appears in mid-air.
Jian Huan, who had been in a state of deep concentration, is startled, her brush stroke faltering, ruining a perfectly good talisman paper.
This Teleportation Talisman was supposed to sell for twenty-five spirit stones tomorrow afternoon!
Damn it!
Jian Huan is furious. She quickly gathers her brush and talisman papers, deftly dodging to Shen Jizhi's side, while glaring at the culprit.
The intruder is a middle-aged man with a broken eyebrow and thick lips. His voice sounds gurgly, and he grins, saying, "What a vigilant child! Too bad you're just two Qi Condensation wastes, what can your vigilance do against me?"
The man seems like a cat playing with its prey, not in a hurry to kill.
He had been following Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi on the road, spotting two Qi Condensation cultivators carrying two large sacks and a bag—perfect targets for him.
Both the man and the woman are quite good-looking, and he fancies both sexes. He plans to rob them first, then toy with them until they're half-dead, and finally sell them to a brothel.
Before coming, he had placed a protective barrier around the room, so no one outside can hear the commotion. These two could scream their lungs out and it wouldn't matter.
The thought alone is exhilarating.
The man with the broken eyebrow leisurely approaches the two, step by step.
In his eyes, Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi are like two shivering mice, huddling together under his threat.
This is too amusing, he laughs heartily.
Jian Huan hides behind Shen Jizhi, secretly taking out a Teleportation Talisman while whispering, "Is this your enemy?"
"No," Shen Jizhi replies, not taking the talisman, his gaze fixed on the man's face, his eyes cold and calculating, like a hunter spotting his prey, "But I know him. His wanted poster hangs outside the Imperial Pacification Office. He's the thief known as Shadowless Hand."
The Imperial Pacification Office is a joint institution of the court and various sects, dedicated to capturing criminals with cultivation.
Hearing this, Jian Huan's eyes light up immediately. She takes a Teleportation Talisman for herself and hands one to Shen Jizhi: "How much is his bounty?"
Shen Jizhi: "Three thousand spirit stones."
"!" Jian Huan pauses, holding her breath, "What's his cultivation level?"
The two have been forced to the edge of the bed, with Jian Huan's knees touching the bed frame.
Shen Jizhi's sword is already poised for action, and he quickly replies, "He's ranked quite low on the bounty list, at Foundation Establishment sixth layer."
Upon hearing this, Jian Huan doesn't hesitate and takes back the Teleportation Talisman she was about to give to Shen Jizhi.
If Shadowless Hand were at the Gold Core stage, Jian Huan would definitely use the Teleportation Talisman to escape.
But since he's at the Foundation Establishment stage, they can take a gamble. A gamble could turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
Jian Huan speaks quickly, proposing, "You go first and hold him off. I'll draw a Thousand-Pound Talisman to help you. After we succeed, we'll split the reward evenly. How about it?"
Shadowless Hand is already lunging forward. Shen Jizhi draws his sword and can only respond with one word: "Fine."
Without another word, Jian Huan grabs her shabby bag from the bed and, clutching it, swiftly crawls under the bed.
Shadowless Hand doesn't pay attention to Jian Huan. She's only at the first layer of Qi Condensation and not an attack-type cultivator, so he doesn't consider her a threat.
As long as he subdues the man, the woman will be easy to handle.
But Shen Jizhi is not easy to deal with.
Unlike other cultivators who focus on height, he focuses on width, making his ascension difficult.
Additionally, his cultivation level has always been low, so he's extremely cautious when facing enemies, rarely engaging directly with Shadowless Hand and dodging around the room.
"What a cunning mouse!" Shadowless Hand sneers, a large hammer appearing in his hand, which he swings fiercely at Shen Jizhi.
A loud bang echoes as Shen Jizhi is slammed against the wall and slides down to the floor.
Jian Huan, peeking from under the bed, sees Shen Jizhi quickly pour the contents of a bottle of Fasting Pills into his mouth and, using the momentum, rolls to Shadowless Hand's feet, stabbing at his lower body with his sword.
Instantly, a piercing scream pierces the air: "Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Jian Huan quickly covers her ears, unable to help but think, What a vicious move.
Shadowless Hand is completely enraged, chasing Shen Jizhi around the room in a frenzy: "Ah—you have the guts! You little pretty boy with no balls! I'll catch you, drain your blood, and turn you into a mummy!"
After generously downing a whole bottle of Fasting Pills, Shen Jizhi remains silent, fleeing swiftly.
The two are locked in a cat-and-mouse chase.
Jian Huan isn't idle either. She pulls out her Talisman Techniques Compendium from her bag and flips to the page on Thousand-Pound Talismans.
Unlike Teleportation Talismans, Thousand-Pound Talismans are attack-type talismans.
Attack-type talismans are much harder to draw than functional talismans. The Thousand-Pound Talisman is the simplest attack talisman, and Yu Qing, their teacher, had mentioned it in class.
Jian Huan lies under the bed, one hand spreading out the talisman paper, the other holding a jade bottle. She pries open the stopper with her thumb and, generously, downs a bottle of Fasting Pills.
The entire bottle of Fasting Pills enters her dantian, infusing her body with a surge of spiritual energy.
She picks up her brush and starts drawing without hesitation.
Jian Huan has already drawn over thirty talismans tonight, and her hand is at its most fluid. Combined with her obsession and devotion to the three thousand spirit stones, she is drawing with divine inspiration.
A quarter of an hour later, the Thousand-Pound Talisman is complete.
Jian Huan carefully emerges from under the bed, watching the situation unfold.
Using her high school physics knowledge, she roughly calculates the distance. As Shadowless Hand, chasing Shen Jizhi, approaches the bed, she leaps out, grabbing his leg with one hand and slapping the Thousand-Pound Talisman on his waist with the other.
The moment it's attached, Shadowless Hand crashes to the ground with a thud.
The Thousand-Pound Talisman weighs him down, making it difficult for him to move. He struggles furiously, roaring like a caged beast.
He grits his teeth, a flash of ferocity in his eyes.
He had no intention of using this self-destructive move, but these two have pushed him too far!
Shadowless Hand's fingers turn into claws, and with great difficulty, he raises his upper body, revealing his chest, about to reach for his own heart.
Shen Jizhi rushes over and, controlling his strength, strikes Shadowless Hand's head with his sword.
He needs this man alive; if he dies, the reward will be halved.
Shadowless Hand's eyes roll back, and he faints.
Jian Huan gets up from the floor, her gaze fixed on the Mustard Seed Pouch at Shadowless Hand's waist. Without a word, she reaches for it.
At the same time, another hand reaches out for the Mustard Seed Pouch.
One Mustard Seed Pouch, two hands, neither willing to let go.
Jian Huan looks up and meets Shen Jizhi's gaze.